unhinged

adjective

un·​hinged ˌən-ˈhinjd How to pronounce unhinged (audio)
: highly disturbed, unstable, or distraught
attacked by an unhinged extremist
Somewhere along the way, her pursuit of a hot guy turned into unhinged obsession.Cosmopolitan
"Is this a new brand of humour? Or is your brain really unhinged?" inquired Tommy.Agatha Christie
see also unhinge

Examples of unhinged in a Sentence

destined to become one of the nation's most notorious serial killers, he apparently became unhinged as a result of being abandoned as a young teen
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
For example, the United States has been having an issue with the liberties outlined in the First Amendment, from cancel culture to the unhinged voices in politics and on social media. Richard Lorenc, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 June 2025 Populated by unhinged men and masochistic women, and punctuated by fiery, increasingly histrionic set pieces, Smoke fails to reconcile its mood of noirish nihilism with its efforts at social commentary. Judy Berman, Time, 27 June 2025 After defeating the bosses, the terrifyingly feral hunger seen in the Secret Level short overcomes Puck, who in true Pac-Man fashion devours the corpses with jaw unhinged. Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 24 June 2025 Doing something unhinged and powerful gave me confidence. Roxana Diaconu, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for unhinged

Word History

First Known Use

1652, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unhinged was in 1652

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Cite this Entry

“Unhinged.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unhinged. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.

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